Everything Has Its Price
by embrace-the-deception
Summary: Sam, Dean and Cas are kidnapped by a hunter. But not everything is as it seems - Alexis is more dangerous than they think. Dean/Cas and Gabe/Cas friendship, lots of angst and whump, no slash. COMPLETE
1. Reflection on Mistakes

**Please tell me what you think of this, I'm not sure if it's any good or not. **

_How the hell do we end up in these freaking situations? _

Dean growled as he fought against the handcuffs that were chaining his arms above his head. The metal was cutting into his wrists, cutting off the circulation to his hands. His fingers were going numb. He glanced at Sam, who was in much the same predicament as he was. Sam's hands were cuffed above his head, his ankles tied with rope, just as Dean's were. The only difference was that Sam wasn't struggling. And _that_ was because he had a bullet wound in his right shoulder and it still hadn't stopped bleeding.

Dean considered banging his head against the wall, but he figured it really wouldn't do much to help their situation or his growing headache. But maybe it would shake loose the answer to why he and Sam always seemed to end up in these horrible, bloody situations.

_Crack_

Maybe not. Now his head hurt more, and Sam was looking at him with worry. He rolled his eyes, wondering how they were going to get _out_ of this horrible, bloody situation this time. Alexis sure wasn't making it easy to escape.

It had all started when they'd met Alexis. The cute young blonde at the bar who challenged a biker to a drinking match and was still sober three hours later. Who also happened to be a hunter. Or so they'd thought.

She'd taken a liking to Sam. Then, after she'd noticed Dean, she'd been all over him, and he could have cared less. But then Cas had come to drag their sorry drunk asses out of the bar before they did something incredibly stupid, and _zing_, it was like instant attraction. At least, for Alexis anyway. She had her tongue halfway down the poor angel's throat before Dean and Sam could haul her off and get Castiel the hell outta there.

Cas had been a little stunned. As anyone would expect of a socially-awkward angel. But no one could really have expected Alexis to come back. After all, she was just some girl they met at a bar one night; no one special, right?

Dean sighed, more to himself out of frustration. The damn bitch knew more about the Winchesters than she'd let on. In fact, she knew that they'd caused the Apocalypse. She knew that Dean had gone to hell and back, literally. She knew about Sam and the demon blood. She also knew that they had a little angel tag-along.

Which, of course, she'd decided to exploit. Being a conniving little bitch and all. She really reminded Dean of someone... A few someone's actually. He'd seen it all before, so why hadn't he seen it this time? How had he missed it?

Looking around the bare concrete room, what Dean really wanted to know was what had happened to Castiel. The last time they'd seen him he and Sam had been talking to the angel in their crappy motel room. Apparently someone had a lead on Lilith, and they were prepared to give up the information for a little something. Whatever that something was Dean didn't know, because at about that time someone had thrown something through the window. Dean had recognised what it was. All of them had. But by the time they had it had already detonated and a thick cloud of smoke was choking the room and its occupants.

Apparently angels were affected by smoke in their lungs, and before Cas could disappear out of there he'd collapsed. Sam hadn't been far behind, and the last thing Dean remembered was passing out as shadowy figures approached him, that familiar voice speaking with smugness.

"We got 'em."

Neither he nor Sam had seen the angel since. They'd woken up in this room, being handcuffed to rings in the wall above them. Dean had lashed out, kicking some biker-looking dude square in the gut. He could have made it out, but then the crazy bitch had to turn a gun on Sam and shoot him in the shoulder. Yeah, she _really_ reminded Dean of someone he'd rather forget.

That had been an hour ago. What the hell was going on?

"Dean, calm down," Sam said, and Dean realised he'd spoken that last sentence aloud. He glanced at his brother, assessing the wound for the hundredth time. The bullet had gone straight through and it didn't appear to have hit anything major, but it was still goddamn trickling blood. Sam was going to die of blood loss if he wasn't fixed up.

Something clicked in his head. He wasn't sure where it had come from, or why it had suddenly made sense at that particular moment, but it didn't matter.

"Bela."

Sam looked at him curiously, "What?"

"Bela. That's who that crazy bitch reminds me of."

"Alexis? Now that you mention it..."

"Clever, aren't you Dean?"

Both brothers jumped and looked up. Alexis was standing in the doorway, a smug smile on her face. Her blonde hair was stained with blood and so were her grey t-shirt and jeans. Dean wasn't sure he wanted to know whose blood that was.

She walked towards them, and something caught Dean's eye. Stuck to a patch of blood on her t-shirt was something shimmering. He couldn't quite see it for long enough to get a grasp on what it was, but it glittered with every step Alexis took, the light refracting then shadows closing over it.

"Bela's dead," Sam said, confused, and Dean was shot back to the present.

Alexis laughed, "Yeah, that's right. But before she died, she taught me a thing or two. In fact, I learnt everything from her about the supernatural world and how to get by in it."

"Does thousands or millions count as 'getting by' to you?" Dean snarled.

"Hey, don't judge. Someone has to take advantage of this lovely situation, and I just happen to be that person."

"Where's Cas?" Dean glared at her, and the woman shrugged with another of her damn smug smiles. She noticed Dean's eyes wandering to the shimmering object on her t-shirt and she plucked it off, slightly surprised.

"Oh. Missed one. But it's broken anyway. Still, maybe I can get _something _for it. After all, how many times in your lifetime do you get to own one of these, broken or not?"

Alexis looked between Sam and Dean's confused faces and burst out into laughter. Apparently she found the situation hilarious. Dean growled as she got a hold of herself and straightened up. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a cuff key. She undid one of Dean's cuffs and held onto his wrist, handing him the shimmering object.

Staring, he rubbed it between his fingers. It was soft, silky, but there was a vibe about it that scared the shit out of him. He held it up to the light and suddenly it all fell into place. Sam watched as the light hit the object and lit up its glowing outline.

It was the broken shaft of a feather.


	2. Love You Til You Hurt

**So here's the next chapter, hope you're still enjoying it! Please R&R!**

Alexis plucked the feather from Dean's fingers with a smile. Dean growled, a deep rumble from the back of his throat, and lunged forward. His fist rammed into her face, knocking her back out his range. She glared at him, one hand to her face, the other reaching for the gun at her side.

Suddenly someone was holding her back, pushing past Alexis and into the concrete prison. It was the same biker-guy Dean had kicked in the gut before. In fact, now that Dean got a good look at him, he was pretty sure it was the same guy Alexis had challenged to the drinking match.

He walked over to Dean and landed a heavy booted kick to the hunter's stomach. Sam visibly winced as his brother was left breathless while the barrel-chested biker locked his free hand back into place. As soon as that was done he was by Alexis's side, making sure she was okay.

"I'm fine, Rick," she growled, pushing him away. He shrugged and backed off.

"You finished the first wing yet?" she asked, glancing at the Winchester to watch their reaction.

Dean swore ferociously, nearly tearing his hands off as he tried to force them out of the handcuffs. Sam surprised even Dean with the words that came out of his mouth and the genuine anger that was behind them. Alexis grinned, turning back to Rick. He nodded.

Rubbing her reddening cheek, she asked, "How's he doing?"

"Oh," Rick said. He spoke to Alexis, but his eyes were fixed on the two helpless hunters, "He's still alive. Kicking and screaming."

"Right. Start on the second then. How long d'you reckon it'll take for them to grow back?"

Rick shrugged, "A few weeks, maybe a month. Not long, I'd guess."

Alexis nodded, and Rick left, leaving the door slightly ajar as he went. Alexis turned to stare at the brothers. Dean's venomous gaze hadn't left her yet.

"You bitch," Dean's voice was low, threatening. Alexis didn't seem fazed at all. She sat down in front of the half-open door, crossing her legs and playing with the broken feather she still held. Sam glanced at his brother, knowing he was too wound up about Castiel to ask what needed to be asked. So he turned his attention to Alexis and spoke.

"Why are we still alive? What do you want us for?"

Alexis turned her baby blue eyes onto him, one eyebrow raised.

"Do you have any idea how many people there are that would just _love_ to get their hands on you two?" she asked "Demons mostly."

"You deal with demons?" Dean spat.

Alexis replied, but kept her focus on Sam rather than turning to Dean, "I deal with whoever pays me the most. And demons pay very well."

Sam bared his teeth, angry, "Not even Bela was as bad as you."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Alexis laughed "But seriously. Bela wasn't prepared to do anything more than steal a few occult items. She wasn't prepared to get dirty. I, on the other hand, am ready to do whatever it takes to get the best for the most."

As the last words left her mouth, a haunting, pain-racked scream blasted through. Neither Winchester had heard Cas scream, but they knew it was him. Dean let loose a string of threats and Sam looked away from Alexis, anger blazing in his eyes. The woman stood up with a chuckle.

"Well boys, I'll deal with you later. I've got an angel to finish with."

And with that, she walked from the room, shutting the door behind her and cutting of the agonized scream. Silence swept over for a split-second, until Dean broke it violently.

"When I get out of here, I'm going to tear her apart."

Sam closed his eyes, knowing that Castiel was still screaming out there. Dean continued to lash out, kicking and pulling on the restraints until he was exhausted. Finally, he rested his head against the wall and stared at the ceiling.

_I should have known. I should have seen it. Now Cas is paying for my mistake._

**/\/\**

Alexis walked down the hall, the screams bouncing around her. Damn, that angel sure had a decent set of lungs. She paused outside a thick metal door, entered the room beyond it. It had once served as a storage warehouse, but now it was where Alexis did most of her dirty work.

In the middle of the empty space was a flaming ring of holy oil. Alexis was glad she'd been able to learn that trick. She was pretty sure the angel wasn't going anywhere in his current state, but it paid to be sure. Inside the ring, strapped face down on a metal table, was the angel. Her angel, she reminded herself. He belonged to her now.

She walked over to him, carefully jumping the flames to reach the table. The screams were almost deafening now. She ran a comforting hand through his messed-up black hair absently as she watched Rick and her other men continue working.

The angel's two massive wings, projecting from bare shoulder blades, were stretched out across two tables attached to the sides of the first. Both shimmered, invisible one moment and back the next. The left was bare, just the structure of the wing coated in sticky red blood. By the right, Rick and two other men were working, carefully and slowly working their way up, pulling out the largest glittering feathers first.

Every time someone came into contact with his almost-glowing wings, the angel would whimper, which was quickly drowned out by the scream that followed as a feather was carefully pulled out. Alexis held up a hand to halt the men and they waited patiently as she knelt down and lifted her angel's head slightly. He moaned in pain, his eyes screwed up tightly. Alexis waited for a moment, hoping he would open them. She'd heard about 'Castiel' from other hunters, those who had had the luck to be graced with his presence. But none of the stories she'd heard had included how beautiful his eyes were.

As the moments passed, slowly the angel began to open his eyes. Just a little, but it was enough for her to see a sliver of bright shining blue. She'd been struck by them when he'd turned up at the bar, and she hadn't been able to resist going for a kiss. She'd staked her claim.

"Hey sweetheart," she said softly, ruffling his hair. The angel closed his eyes again, doing his best to ignore her. Alexis planted a gentle kiss on his forehead before standing up and signalling for the men to continue. As she stepped back, the screams resounded again.


	3. Last Minute

**Third chapter, hope you're still enjoying this! Thanks for all the lovely reviews! *hug***

Dean wasn't sure how much time had passed – it seemed to be forever, but he knew that Alexis would have come back once she'd finished with Castiel. Which meant she was still with Cas...  
He growled, fighting back to urge to fight against the restraints again. He knew it was pointless and he'd managed to cut his wrist on the handcuffs. It wasn't deep, but the blood trickling down his arm was annoying. Sam had barely moved since Alexis had left, and the bullet wound seemed to have stopped bleeding for now. His brother's previously grey t-shirt was now stained a dark red across the entire front.

Dean closed his eyes, trying not to think about what that bitch was doing to Cas. He was just glad the door was shut. He wasn't sure he could deal with hearing the angel scream again. That woman was going to die incredibly slowly when he got out of this place.

There was a sudden bang which startled Dean into opening his eyes. He expected to see Alexis standing there with another one of her damned smug smiles that pissed him off so much. What he didn't expect to see was an angry-as-hell, snarling angel.

"Gabriel?" Sam said, shocked.

Gabriel glanced between both Winchester before flicking his hand. The handcuffs clicked open and Dean rubbed his wrists before going to work on the rope around his ankles. Sam did the same, albeit slower due to the hole in his shoulder.

"What the hell are you doing here, Gabriel?" Dean asked as he stood up, helping his brother stand on shaky feet. Neither brother really wanted to question the angel when he looked like he wanted to rip someone's stomach out through their mouth, but they were utterly confused.

Gabriel held out the boys' weapons and they took them, surprised to find them still loaded.

"I figured I may as well save your asses while I'm here," Gabriel said.

It seemed to click for Sam before Dean and the taller said, "You're here for Cas, aren't you?"

Gabriel nodded and walked closer to them, reaching out both hands. Before either Winchester could do anything, Gabriel touched them on the forehead and everything vanished in dizzying flashes of colour.

The view around them changed almost instantly, and the boys found themselves behind Gabriel in a large warehouse-type storage area. In the centre was a flaming ring, and immediately they knew where they were and who was in the middle of the fire.

Screams died down as angry shouts took their place. Gunfire flashed and bullets spattered the walls around the brothers and angel. Gabriel simply flicked his hand and each and every bullet seemed to miss its target. He walked steadily towards the ring of fire. The brothers couldn't see his face, but they knew Gabriel was pissed to say the least. Dean ran forward, Sam following behind. The younger took down one of the men trying to shoot at them, and Dean shot the biker-guy, Rick, in the head a few times. Dean aimed at the blonde hiding in the fire, but hesitated as Gabriel blocked his shot.

"Leave her to me," he hissed "Check on Castiel."

Dean watched as Gabriel sent Alexis flying into a wall, safely away from his brother angel. He glanced back at Sam, who nodded and ran for the fire alarm that would set off the sprinklers to douse the flames. Dean ran for Castiel, leaping over the fire and kneeling by the angel's head. He tried to keep the sight of Castiel's bloody wings out of his mind as he spoke.

"Cas? Cas, can you hear me?" he said as he felt water start to soak through his jacket. There was a hiss as fire died, and within moments Sam was by his side.

"Castiel?" Dean shouted, shaking the angel. Castiel groaned, his face screwed up in pain. He was panting hard, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Dean told Sam to untie the angel while he talked to him.

"Come on, you're gonna be okay. Just keep your eyes open. You're gonna be fine."

"Dean."

Sam's voice broke his rambling, and he looked up. Sam shook the water from his hair and pointed across Castiel and over to the far wall. Dean glanced over as a bang echoed in the silence.

Alexis had just tried to shoot Gabriel. The angel slammed her into the wall again until she dropped the gun. He let her fall to the ground.

"You know what I am?"

Alexis looked up at him from the floor and glared. Even from the distance, Dean could see the glitter of greed in her eyes, and he growled. Even when being threatened by a murderous angel, she was still thinking about money.

"You're an angel."

Gabriel smiled, a dark, malicious smile, "Correct. You know _who_ I am?"

Alexis stayed silent. She shrugged, and Gabriel laughed, sending a chill down Dean's spine.

"I'm Gabriel."

Alexis's eyes widened as she pulled back her soaking wet blonde hair from her face, "Gabriel? Archangel Gabriel?"

The angel nodded, "You know who you've got tied down over there?"

"Castiel."

Gabriel bared his teeth in a feral snarl, "That's right. He's my brother, and you're going to pay for hurting him. You're going to pay for ever touching him, you filthy whore."

Dean started. He'd never heard Gabriel sound so angry. Every word he spoke was a promise, and Alexis scrambled backwards a few feet, as if that would protect her. There was a dark chuckle from the Archangel before he twisted his hand slightly. As he did, Alexis suddenly screamed, throwing her head back in agony. She reached for her back desperately, screaming until they became pain-filled sobs. Gabriel looked down at her, impassive as she begged for mercy.

"You want mercy?" he spat.

"Please!" Alexis choked, trying in vain to tear something invisible off her back "Stop!"

"You showed my brother no mercy. I show you none."

Dean stared as Alexis collapsed on the floor, no longer crying or trying to scream. She panted, struggling to get her breath back. Gabriel gave her barely a second's rest before he flicked his wrist. The blonde screamed again, a high-pitched agonized sound, and once again reached for her back in any possible way, gripping something that Dean couldn't see and yanking it hard. Blood seeped into her wet and bloody shirt, and Alexis sobbed with pain.

A cough from Castiel brought Dean back to the angel in front of him. He glanced at Sam and saw his brother was cutting the final strap that bound Castiel to the table. When he heard it snap, Dean shook Cas again, forcing his eyes open. Dean bit his lip as he saw the pain in the angel's eyes. He'd never seen such agony in the brilliant blue before. He brushed wet black hair from the angel's face, keeping the water out of his eyes.

"Come on, it's almost over, we're gonna get you out of here, everything's gonna be fine."

He hauled the limp angel off the table, Sam helping him to get Castiel to his feet. They did their best to avoid his torn and bloody wings, but as Dean slipped Castiel's arm over his shoulder to help stabilise him, he brushed against one of them for a split-second. Castiel gave a sharp cry of pain, and Dean swore, looking for Gabriel. They had to get Cas out of there, and _now_.

Alexis was still tearing at her back, her scream replaced by breathless panting. Gabriel stood a little way away from her, watching with a dark gaze as she finally got a firm grip on whatever it was attached to her back. She cried out with relief and pulled hard. Dean winced, and heard Sam make a sound of disgust, as Alexis ripped the invisible object from her back with a wet tearing of skin and muscle from bone. She stared at Gabriel with stunned eyes as Dean looked away from the gaping hole in her back. He turned back a moment later as he heard Alexis thump to the ground. She stretched out a bloody hand, reaching for Gabriel. But before she could make it, her arm dropped and her eyes closed.

No one moved for a minute. The silence was only broken by the pitter-patter of the sprinklers continuing to rain down water from above. Gabriel simply stared at the body, hatred darkening his eyes and water darkening his hair and clothes. In the end, he turned to look at the Winchesters and Castiel, who was slumped between the boys with his eyes slowly closing. He was by their side in a flash, and Dean wasn't even sure he'd seen the angel move. Gabriel took Castiel from the Winchesters' arms and whispered something in his ear as he supported his brother. Gabriel looked over Castiel's shoulder at Sam and Dean.

"Get out of here."

And in a flutter of feathers, the two angels were gone, leaving a soaking Dean and Sam alone with three dead bodies, a steadily-growing pool of blood and no idea if their friend was going to see the next day.

**Please R&R!**


	4. Falling

**Thanks for the reviews! Hope you like this chapter :D**

"Well, you heard the man," Dean said, turning to his brother who was standing drenched under the fire sprinklers. If there was anything more pathetic than a soaked, puppy-eyed Sam just begging to go home, Dean didn't want to know what it was. He had enough trouble with those damn puppy eyes as it was.

"You okay?"

Sam was gripping his shot shoulder, but when Dean asked he let go, shrugging. He tried to hide the wince of pain, but he could hide nothing from the worried eye of his brother. He'd already noticed it'd started bleeding again – the blood joined rivulets of water as they ran down his arm.

"I'm fine."

Dean nodded and they headed out into the corridor where, thankfully, the sprinklers weren't activated. Sam shook his hair like a dog to rid the water, and Dean glared as it spattered all over him. Sam just rolled his eyes as he started down the hallway, gun cocked and ready. Dean followed, alert for any danger.

"You think Cas'll be alright?" Sam asked as they turned corners in the dimly lit facility, hoping to find their way out within the next few years or so. Dean shrugged, not wanting to answer.

"Yeah," was all he said, and Sam wisely shut up, knowing his brother too well to continue asking, even though he himself was worried sick about Castiel.

Too caught up in his thoughts about the angel, neither brother heard the footsteps around the next corner until it was too late. They walked right into two men, most likely hired by Alexis and on their way to find out what all the commotion had been about not five minutes earlier. The guns in their hands added weight to that thought.

The four stared for a moment, stunned into silence and stillness. At last, it was the hunters who snapped back into action first. Sam swung the muzzle of his shotgun around, slamming it into the closest man's face. He went down, and Sam followed with another punch to the gut and a savage kick in the head which left the man out cold on the floor.

A bang reverberated and Sam looked up in surprise as he saw the second man fall. The back of his head had just been blown out by the exiting of a bullet, and Dean looked as calm as a sunny-day sea as he lowered his weapon. Sam stared. His brother had just shot a man. Not a monster, a _man_.

Dean glanced over at his brother and with a cold look, asked, "What?"

"You just shot someone. In the head. For no reason."

There was a moment of silence as Dean contemplated that, giving the dead man a look that would have killed him three times over again. Then he wiped the spattered blood from his face and said, "I had my reasons."

And with that, Dean walked forward and Sam scrambled to his feet, running after his brother with a backward glance at the two men lying on the floor.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Sam asked as he caught up with Dean.

"You're the one who's been shot, and you're asking if _I'm_ fine?"

That was the end of the conversation, and no matter how hard Sam pressed, Dean wouldn't say another word.

**/\/\**

Gabriel swore, which probably wasn't the most ingenious idea considering where he was and what he was about to do. Standing at the very edges of Heaven – the place he'd left all those years ago – probably wasn't the best place to use the Lord's name in vain.

He heard someone walking towards him and, supporting Castiel over one shoulder, turned to see who approached. He swallowed when he recognised the form – Ariel. Archangel Ariel, who he'd been more than a pain to before he'd gone. Ariel, who probably wasn't very happy with the fact that he'd upped and left. Ariel, who _despised_ fallen angels with a passion.

"Gabriel. Never thought I'd see you here again," the young woman said, tossing her head of brown-red hair in disgust. Gabriel bit back a retort. He was here for Castiel. Screw Ariel.

"Castiel needs help," the fallen angel said, gesturing to his almost-unconscious brother. Ariel barely gave him a passing glance before returning her smoky grey gaze to Gabriel.

"I can see that."

"He needs Raphael. Go find him!" Gabriel said, trying his best to keep his voice under control. He really didn't want to yell at Ariel, because yelling at Ariel tended to end badly. Especially if you were Gabriel.

Ariel snorted, as if the very idea was filthy, "You waltz back up here expecting me to go fetch Raphael for you? I may work closely with him but I am not his messenger."

Her voice was cold, and that was when Gabriel knew he was on very dangerous turf now. If Ariel refused, Castiel may not get help at all. And without help, he would die. He sighed inwardly, refusing to allow himself to be riled up.

"Ariel," he started quietly, and the woman looked down at him in contempt "Please. Just do it for Castiel. You can kick my ass afterwards, just... please."

Ariel didn't speak for a moment, and Gabriel looked at his feet, feeling his brother's weight grow heavier and heavier on his shoulder. Castiel was sagging, unable to even attempt to stand on his own. He could feel Castiel's blood soaking into his own clothes and Gabriel bit his lip, forcing back what he really wanted to say to the other archangel. But as he looked up in frustration at her silence, he realised she was gone.

It was a kick in the gut. But after what he'd done to her, after falling voluntarily, he wasn't exactly surprised. It still hurt though, and he turned to... what? What was he supposed to do? He didn't know how to fix this, and without help he was damn sure his brother wasn't going to make it. He glanced at Castiel, whose eyes were now closed and his breathing shuddering as if it were a huge effort to do so. As he did, he caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye. He twisted, heart pounding.

Ariel was back, and beside her was Raphael. The dark man looked down at Gabriel and the unconscious Castiel in silence. After a long moment, Raphael spoke.

"Bring him."

Those two words shot Gabriel through with relief and he did as he was told, hauling his fading brother angel with him as Raphael and Ariel turned, the latter with a sour scowl she was failing to hide. He didn't care. Ariel was the furthest thing from his mind at that moment – all he could think about was whether Castiel was going to be okay.

**/\/\**

The Impala was just where they'd left it, in the parking lot of the motel on the far side of town. As the Winchesters made their way to their room, they ran into a young girl just leaving another room nearby. She stopped dead when she saw the brothers. They were bloody, beaten and bruised due to being surprised back at the warehouse. Dean was sporting a black eye that would go well with the other bruises starting to appear on his chest and stomach. Sam's bullet wound was bleeding again and now the back of his head was too after someone had smashed the butt of a shotgun into it. He probably would have been shot or beaten to death there and then if Dean hadn't blown the guy's head off.

The girl stared, mouth half-open. In the end, she turned slowly and walked the other way, muttering something to herself. Neither Sam nor Dean really cared – they were tired, sore and worried to say the least. They stumbled into their room and Sam sat down heavily on the edge of a bed, feeling his shoulder wound. Dean was in the bathroom, examining his black eye. He growled.

"That son of a bitch."

He walked back out a moment later as Sam bit back a gasp at the fresh pain that was surging through his shoulder. The adrenaline was fading now, the fight long over, and everything was starting to hurt again. His head throbbed and his shoulder was flaring up with every movement. He could hide nothing from Dean, despite trying his best to mask his pain, and his brother came over, sitting beside him and inspecting the wound.

"I'll stitch it up," Dean said, moving off to get what he needed. Sam sighed.

"I can do it myself."

Dean shrugged, "But you're not going to. You've already lost enough blood outta that wound, so just shut up and let me fix it."

Sam bit back a retort and settled for glaring at his older brother. He knew why his brother was so snappy, but it didn't change the fact that it annoyed him to no end.

**/\/\**

"Lay him down," Raphael instructed as the landscape around the four angels changed and became somewhere Gabriel remembered well. Raphael's little corner, where he worked his magic and saved lives. He'd been in here himself a few times.

Gabriel let Castiel down slowly onto the low wooden table in front of him, shifting him onto his front. Castiel moaned and Gabriel winced. Raphael seemed impassive and Ariel appeared to be delighting in Gabriel's pain. The dark-skinned man turned to the young woman.

"Leave us now, please."

Ariel nodded with a slight angry scowl and vanished. Raphael turned to Castiel, kneeling down beside Gabriel. The blonde archangel opened his mouth to speak but Raphael held up and hand and Gabriel watched in silence as straps appeared around Castiel's arms, chest and legs, effectively tying him down. It was an all-too familiar sight.

Raphael put a hand on the younger archangel's shoulder and pulled him away to speak to him. Gabriel went with a glance behind him to the bloody angel.

"Gabriel, I will need your help."

"How?"

"Castiel cannot heal unless the remainder of his feathers are removed. I need you to talk to him while I do so."

Gabriel swallowed, looking at his brother. On his right wing there was a single row of feathers remaining, stained in his blood. His heart thudded unmercifully in his chest as he considered what had to be done. At last, he bowed his head and nodded once. It was the hardest thing he would ever have to do, harder than falling, harder than leaving his brothers behind, harder than knowing he could never go back.

**Please R&R!**

**I'm really liking Ariel as a character of mine. There is actually an archangel Ariel - _Ariel is an Archangel closely related to nature. She is particularly helpful for teachers and healers and assists with psychic development. She works with Raphael when healing the physical body. If a lion appears you know Archangel Ariel is with you. _**

**And she'll be back ^^**


	5. Extreme Emotion

**Please R&R! I love all your reviews!**

Gabriel moved back to his brother, kneeling beside his head and holding it in his hands as he spoke softly.

"Castiel, can you hear me?"

Castiel opened glazed blue eyes, staring at Gabriel with incomprehension. The blonde bit his lip as Raphael pressed one hand into the joint of Castiel's right wing to steady it. The healer shot a quick glance to Gabriel to ensure he was doing his part, and the latter nodded in reply, murmuring to his brother quietly.

"I know it hurts, but trust me, this will all be over soon and..."

He had to stop as Raphael grabbed a handful of what was left of Castiel's feathers and tore them out. The angel beneath him screamed and Gabriel did what he could to soothe him. He knew there wasn't really anything he _could_ do, but he continued talking quietly, his words running together as both Raphael and Castiel continued.

"Just hold on Castiel everything's gonna be fine just keep still it'll be over soon I'm sorry I know it hurts I'm sorry I didn't come sooner just hold on come on Castiel keep going..."

Raphael tore handful after handful of feathers out as quickly as he could, as he advanced along the final line still attached to Castiel's wing. The angel didn't stop screaming, his screams turning into choking sobs as his voice finally gave out. Gabriel was shocked it'd lasted so long. As Raphael finally ripped the last feather from its place, Gabriel ran his hand through Castiel's hair as his brother coughed out sobs through his tortured throat.

The archangel stared at Castiel's broken and bloody wings, seemingly destroyed forever. The framework of the angel's wings was coated in drying and fresh blood – barely a patch of it was clear of the sticky red liquid. Gabriel swallowed as he felt Castiel start to relax a fraction now that the pain had relented. It was over, for now. But he knew there was more to come.

He heard Raphael talking to someone and he looked up to see the healer and Ariel conversing quietly. The woman shot a harsh glance to Gabriel in the midst of the conversation, but the archangel didn't bother to return it. He whispered to Castiel that he would return, before standing. Raphael caught sight of the movement and fixed his gaze on him.

"Where are you going?"

Gabriel paused, "Someone has to tell those two idiots down there what's happening."

"The Winchesters? They'll live. Castiel might not."

Gabriel turned to look at Raphael with pain in his eyes, barely able to whisper, "I can't do it, Raphael."

The dark archangel's eyes flashed with anger, "You have to, Gabriel. He needs you here or his chance of surviving falls lower than Hell."

There was a moment of silence as Gabriel tried to think of something, anything, which would get him away from this place filled with pain and failure – his failure. He couldn't face it if Castiel didn't recover – he should have gotten there earlier...

"And besides," Raphael turned to Ariel "Ariel can tell the Winchesters what's going on."

Ariel started in surprise and started to complain, but Raphael silenced her with a harsh word. The woman fell quiet, glaring at Gabriel furiously. The archangel couldn't find it in him to care. The tension in the air from three angry, frustrated archangels was so thick, Gabriel felt as if here choking and he just wanted to get away from it all.

With a pointed glance from Raphael, Ariel huffed darkly and vanished, presumably to find the Winchesters and explain. The two remaining archangels were left staring at each other in silence.

That silence was broken as Castiel started to whimper in pain again.

**/\/\**

_Why the hell didn't I see it? I should have seen it – she must have slipped up somewhere, but I was too drunk to notice. If I hadn't gotten drunk, Castiel wouldn't have had to come and drag us out of there, and she never would have found him. He'd be safe, we'd be somewhere far away by now and Alexis wouldn't have had a clue. And everything would be okay._

Sam glanced at his brother, who was lying back on the bed with eyes closed, arms folded over his chest. He knew Dean was blaming himself for Castiel's torture. He sighed, flipping his phone open and dialling a number. It picked up a few moments later.

"Hey Bobby," Sam sighed.

"Sam. What's up?"

Sam hesitated, giving his motionless brother one last look before explaining the events of the last day or so to Bobby. He went through meeting Alexis, how she'd jumped Cas unexpectedly. He explained everything, from being smoke-bombed to Gabriel popping in to save the day. He decided to omit the part about Dean shooting people. Bobby had enough to get through as it was without having to worry about Dean too.

After he'd finished, Bobby was silent for a good minute or two. Eventually, he said, "I've heard of her, but I figured she was just a Talbot protégé. I didn't think she was so dangerous. Trust me, I would have mentioned her if I'd thought she would come after you."

"I know you would," Sam said "What do you know about angel feathers?"

Bobby sighed, and Sam could imagine the older hunter shrugging and looking half-defeated, "Not much. I've read that they can be used in a few rituals and dark magic. But honestly, there isn't much at all."

Sam nodded to himself, glancing at Dean again. His brother still hadn't moved from his position on the bed, his only movement being his chest rising up and down as he breathed. Sam was about to say something when another voice, young and female, interrupted him.

"There you are."

Dean was up in a split second and Sam spun to see a young woman, perhaps eighteen or so, standing a few feet away with arms crossed. Smoky grey eyes switched between glaring at Sam and glaring at Dean. Finally she tossed her head, red-brown hair flicking behind her and settling in a straight wave down to her mid-back.

"Bobby, I will call you back," Sam said quickly before hanging up.

"Do you have any idea how hard you are to find? I swear, whoever had the smart idea to shield you guys was an idiot."

"That would be Cas," Dean growled, and the woman shrugged, uncaring.

Before she could go into another tirade, Sam interrupted her, "Who are you?"

"Ariel. Archangel Ariel."

The Winchester glanced at each other, but made no other signal that they didn't know her. The woman – angel – huffed and folded her arms.

"Of course you don't know me. I'm one of the archangels that everyone forgets to mention."

"I thought there were only four archangels?" Dean said slowly, as if wary of making her angry.

Angry was an understatement. Ariel exploded, "Four? There's more than that, idiot. People always remember Michael, and Lucifer, and Gabriel and Raphael, but they forget to mention me. And then  
there's Zadkiel, and Cassiel, and..."

Dean interrupted, "Okay, we get it. More than four. What do you want?"

Ariel didn't seem to want to be swayed off her course of anger, "I had to ask Gabriel where you two were, you know that? Don't ever make me do that again. Smug bastard."

"You're here about Cas?" Sam asked.

There was a long pause as Ariel calmed herself down enough to be able to speak civilly. But when she spoke, Sam wasn't sure she'd done the greatest job. Her tone was still tinged with anger and superiority.

"Raphael is healing Castiel as we speak. But, there's a good chance that he won't make it anyway. It depends on if he can survive the next few days."

The brothers waited for her to explain, Dean looking ready to rip the angel's head off at her vagueness. In the end, she relented and explained fully.

"Look, an angel losing a few feathers is bad. But they grow back in a few days, and they're good as new. But when you lose as many as Castiel has, it's a different story. First, you have to make sure there are none left, or the healing process doesn't work. You're just stuck with useless wings and the feathers will never grow back. It's stupid, but I don't make the rules."

Dean winced as he recalled the sight of Castiel's right wing with still a row or two of feathers attached.

"He's going to be okay though, right?"

Ariel ignored him and continued, "Then he has to live through the next few days, which is the most dangerous time. It isn't exactly natural to not have your wings. It's painful to say the least to have no feathers. So painful, that an angel who's lost them will do anything to stop it. And the easiest way to do that is to get rid of what's hurting them. They literally tear their own wings off. Which obviously kills them."

Sam and Dean glanced at each other, understanding at last what Gabriel had done to Alexis. He'd known Castiel was going to feel that exact pain, and so forced her to go through the same thing his brother would soon be experiencing. He'd made her kill herself.

Ariel was still speaking, and the brothers tuned back in to listen.

"So if he makes it through the next few days, once his feathers start to grow back, he'll be fine. But I've seen angels go through it before. It's not pretty and it's not easy."

Dean was silent. The brothers exchanged a worried glance. It wasn't sounding good for the angel.

"If you angels really do have wings," Sam started, and Ariel scoffed.

"I think you've figured that out by now."

Sam continued as if she hadn't spoken, "Then why could we saw Castiel's, but we can't see yours?"

The room went cold as Ariel stared at them with freezing fire in her eyes. Sam was starting to regret asking the question as Ariel walked slowly towards him, stopping a pace away. She was tall for an eighteen year old woman, at least Dean's height. Despite the slight difference in height compared to Sam, she stared up at him with flashing cold fury, and Sam was _scared._

"It takes a lot to get wings to show to humans if the angel doesn't want them be seen," she said, ice daggering her words "Extreme emotion. When I say extreme, I mean off the scale. Whatever they did to Castiel, it wasn't pretty."

Sam threw a glance at his brother as Ariel stepped back, who returned it with worry. The sound of fluttering feathers and wing beats echoed and when they looked back, Ariel was gone. Both Winchesters knew that it'd taken a lot for her to reveal something like that to them. And they were both hoping that Castiel was going to make it through those few days.

**/\/\**

"I know it hurts, Castiel. But we can't let you go. Not yet. It'll all be over soon, just keep holding on."

"P-p-please...Ga-Gabriel...hur'sss..."

"I know. I know."

"Jsss...g't 'em 'ffff..."

"I can't, Castiel. You just have to hold on for a bit longer. It'll stop hurting soon."


	6. Trauma

**Just a few more chaptes til the end, unfortunately. But for now, here's the next one, I hope you like it!**

Two days passed without another appearance by Ariel. There was no word on Castiel and both the Winchesters were on edge and frustrated. They had no news, no idea what was happening to the angel that become their friend. Would they even be told if Castiel didn't make it? They didn't know.

"_The police are still searching for any suspects in the shooting deaths of six people at the abandoned Stockman's Warehouse in Black River. The presence of satanic images and ritualistic items in the area where three of the victims were killed, plus the strange manner of one of the victims' death, is confusing police even further. The cause of death for self-made millionaire Alexis Young is still unknown. Those who were also killed include Rick Jackson and Dave Lander. The identities of the other three men are so far unknown. Anyone with any information should..."_

"We should get out of here," Sam said over the news reporter, his voice low "Sooner or later someone's going to implicate us in this."

Dean sighed, knowing Sam was right but unable to accept what his brother was proposing.

"We can't leave yet. If we go, the angels are going to have a hell of a time trying to find us again. It won't be long until we find out."

It was a faint hope he was holding on to, like a drowning man to a thrown rope. Ariel had said a few days, and he was going to wait those few days. He was staying put until he had news, and he said that aloud to Sam.

His brother said nothing, and silence stretched out before them once again, as it had done for most of the last two days. It was only broken by the continued static mutter of the news reporter on low volume.

He couldn't go yet. He had to know if Castiel was okay. It was the least he could do for the angel.

**/\/\**

"Gabriel please!" Castiel screamed hoarsely, pausing to cough blood from his tortured throat "Make it stop!"

The blonde archangel had held back on tears for the last two days. It was an impressive show of strength, as Castiel continued to beg him to make the pain stop. He repeated that there was nothing he could do, over and over again. But now he couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't handle hearing his brother scream for help anymore.

"I'm sorry." Gabriel blinked, sending cascades of hot tears down his face. He shook, knees up against his chest, his arms wrapped around them. He had to. He felt like he would shatter into a million pieces if he didn't keep himself curled into a tight ball, holding everything inside.

"I'm so sorry Castiel. It's my fault, I should have come sooner. I should have realised sooner. If I'd come quicker, maybe it wouldn't be this bad. It's my fault it hurts so much, I'm so sorry."

Castiel writhed under the binding straps, trying in vain to free his hands. Gabriel knew his brother was in so much pain that he wanted to tear his own wings off, but his own pain of failure and having to stay by Castiel in his agony was all the archangel could see.

He barely heard the slight sound of someone shifting their weight from one foot to the other. It took him a moment to understand what the sound actually meant. He looked to his right to see Ariel standing a little way off, arms folded and watching Gabriel with dark eyes. The blonde angel was too upset to be angry, so he just turned his head away, back to Castiel.

"You having fun?" he said, hating how his voice broke towards the end "Watching me suffer like this? Watching Castiel suffer?"

"Having to see a fellow angel suffer is just as hard for me, Gabriel."

Gabriel forced back a second wave of tears, placing a gentle hand on his brother's shoulder. He didn't know if Castiel felt it at all. The dark-haired angel was still struggling, trying his hardest to rip his hands free to rid himself of the agony.

"Tell the Winchesters what's going on, would you?"

There was no answer, and when Gabriel looked back to the second archangel, she was nowhere to be seen.

**/\/\**

"Didn't think I'd be back so soon."

Dean jumped as he heard the familiar, snooty tone of Ariel's voice. He and Sam turned as one to see the deceptively young-looking archangel walking over to them. She paused by Dean's side and looked up at him.

"Is Castiel..."

Dean didn't get a chance to finish. Ariel held up a hand to silence him and after a moment's pause, she spoke.

"He's not dealing with it well. It's still possible he'll last until his feathers begin to regrow, but it's looking rather unlikely."

"He'll pull through," Sam said confidently, but even Dean could hear the forced emotion in his voice. He wasn't fooling anyone.

"Didn't you hear what I just said?" Ariel said, hands out gesturing as she spoke "He's got a better chance of finding God than surviving this. He's just not strong enough. Not every angel has the strength to deal with something as traumatic as this."

Dean took a step away from her, distancing himself from the angel that was telling him Castiel had no chance. That he was going to die, and there was nothing he could do about it. That it was all his fault.

"Cas is going to make it. He's going to prove you wrong, because you have no idea what that angel is capable of."

Ariel looked at him disdainfully, eyebrow raised, "You don't know the pain he's going through right now. What you felt in Hell is barely a slap in the face compared to what Castiel is having to deal with. Compress your forty years in Hell into one day, and that's a day for Castiel. You still think he's strong enough to make it?"

It was a challenge. A dare. She was goading him, provoking him. Dean wasn't ready to take the bait. He opened his mouth to speak, already trying to get his voice under control. Ariel beat him to it.

"If you see me again, Castiel's dead."

With that, and in a swirl of fluttering feathers and flashes of wings, Ariel vanished, presumable back to Heaven and Castiel. Back to whatever she was doing; Dean didn't care.

"He's going to be okay, Dean," Sam said.

Dean rounded on him, his anger snapping at him to be let loose in full. He'd been keeping it at bay for two days and now it was all bubbling to the surface. "Don't talk to me like I'm a kid. You heard her just as well as I did."

"What happened to 'you have no idea what Castiel's capable of?'" Sam shot back, clearly just as frustrated as Dean and ready for a fight. An exchange of yelling and shouting, a physical punch-up; Dean wanted and was prepared for both.

"I don't know, Sam. Sure, Cas is one hell of an angel, but I don't know if he can do that."

"It's a long shot then. But you can't just give up on the guy."

Dean snarled, "Who said I'm giving up? I'm praying as hard as I damn well can that Castiel's going to pull through, I'm killing myself with the waiting."

"Then forget Ariel. Forget what she said!"

Dean sighed, quiet falling as the brothers stopped. In the tense, strained silence, Dean swung around, slamming his fist into the wall with an angry cry. He pulled his fist free from the newly-made hole in the wall, shaking plaster from his hand.

Dean gave Sam a glance before heading for the door. He needed some time alone, and he needed a goddamn drink. Preferably lots of them. He was going to get drunk tonight, and with every mouthful he could remember that there was no angel to drag his sorry ass out of there.

**/\/\**

Gabriel was so focused on his and his brother's pain that he didn't realise Ariel was sat beside him, legs crossed, until she reached out and gently brushed Castiel's forehead. Her red-painted nails skimmed over Castiel's sweaty skin, the angel's breathing starting to calm and even out. She kept her hand in place for a few moments until Castiel was lying still – his only movement being weak tugging on the ties around his body and his chest rising and falling with his heavy breaths. Gabriel blinked away tears and glanced at the archangel. She let her hands fall into her lap, watching Castiel with eyes stormy with emotion.

"What did you..."

"I did my job," Ariel said quietly, not taking her eyes of the dark-haired angel in front of her "I helped his mind deal with the pain and trauma."

"Thank..."

Ariel flicked her head around to face Gabriel, anger flashing, hair swinging in a wave behind her, "Don't thank me. I did my job, and I did it for Castiel."

Gabriel fell silent, nodding. The two archangels turned their attention back to Castiel. At a glance he would have appeared to have given up. But Gabriel could see his brother's tensed muscles, his eyes closed so tight the blonde archangel wasn't sure he'd ever open them again – or want to. If he could just last for a little longer...

"What did you tell the Winchesters?" Gabriel asked, curious only so much as to get his mind off the thought of Castiel not surviving.

Ariel raised an eyebrow, "I told them that it wasn't likely that Castiel would survive."

Gabriel gave a humourless laugh, "I bet Dean took that well."

"He wanted to beat me senseless, and then some."

The pair fell silent, once more, unsure what to say. The sound of someone clearing their throat broke the silence and announced the arrival of another angel. Neither archangel turned, as they knew who it would be – no one entered Raphael's corner without his say-so, which left only one.

Raphael himself.

The dark-skinned archangel walked over and knelt by Castiel's side, ignoring Ariel and Gabriel for the most part. He ran a gentle hand over the shimmering skin-and-bone of Castiel's wing. The angel whimpered, and Gabriel swallowed, dropping his head into his hands.

"Not long," Raphael murmured, straightening and stepping back. The words raced through Gabriel so fast his head shot up and he stared at Raphael with hope.

"How much longer?"

"That I can't say, but soon," the archangel said cryptically.

Gabriel's heart lightened. Castiel was going to make it. He had to; he was so close. But looking at his brother strapped down onto the table, blood leaking from his mouth and eyes tightly closed in defeat, he suddenly wasn't so sure.

**/\/\**

Being drunk while thinking about how you basically caused the extremely painful death of someone you considered a friend was not the greatest combination, Dean decided. So, to remedy the situation, he downed the last of his beer and ordered another one. He'd already had far too many, but he didn't really care. Surely he had to reach the point where he could forget what he'd done?

"Hey there," a female voice said.

Dean didn't even look up as the young blonde slid into the seat next to him. If he had, he would have seen a beautiful young woman in tight jeans and a red top that revealed far more than it covered.

"What's up with you?" she asked as she ordered a drink.

Dean didn't answer; he was too busy drowning himself in drink and sorrow. How cliché.

"Okay, so not very talkative."

Finally Dean glanced over, and nearly fell off the chair. To his drunken mind, the young blonde was far too familiar. He stumbled back from her. She frowned, confused.

"Fuck off," Dean tried to growl menacingly, but ended up slurring the words and nearly falling on his butt.

"Wow. Okay. Going then," she said with a toss of her head. Dean could almost see the blood in her hair, on her clothes. The woman threw back her drink quickly in her anger, which only served to remind Dean further of the bitch who'd ruined everything.

He stumbled out of the bar, making his slow way to the Impala and falling in. He contemplated driving back to the motel, but the thought of having to face Sam at that moment changed his mind. Instead, he slumped back against the seat and stared at the roof of the car until he had to close his eyes.

_Fuck, what have I done?_

"Dammit Cas!" he yelled, because there was nothing else he could say.

**/\/\**

Gabriel didn't bother trying to hold back his tears as he saw his brother's breathing slow even further, his pain-contorted body relaxing. He could see the life going out of Castiel, his Grace fading away.

"No," he murmured, shaking him desperately "No, you can't!"

Ariel pulled him back, Gabriel fighting as he cried his heart out. He grabbed Ariel and held onto her, trembling and angry. She put an arm around his shoulder comfortingly, swallowing as Castiel's body went limp and his chest refused to rise.

"I'm sorry," the female archangel muttered quietly, resting her head on top of Gabriel's as he sobbed out his frustration and fury.

"It's not fair."

He sounded so pitiful, asking for a reason where there was none. Ariel nodded slightly.

"You're right, it's not."

Ariel closed her eyes. A second later, Castiel blinked his eyes open slowly, his body starting to move again. He stared at the pair of archangels in front of him.

"G...Gabriel?"

The blonde started, shooting upright and away from Ariel at the speed of light. He locked eyes with Castiel, something he never thought he'd do again.

"It... It doesn't hurt anymore," Castiel said with an exhausted sigh, his voice hoarse and scratchy from the abuse his throat had suffered. But he still managed a tired smile as he spoke.

Gabriel's eyes flickered to his brother's wings. On the left, there was a spattering of golden, silver-shadowed feathers. Not many – maybe a handful. But it was the most beautiful thing Gabriel had ever seen. He smiled, stunned.

"You did it."

**Please review!**


	7. Flames

**Some happy stuff, some sad stuff - all in the average day of the Winchesters and their favourite angel XD Enjoy!**

Sam watched his brother toss and turn on the bed, sleeping off the drinking he'd been doing last night. The younger had had to walk through town looking for Dean, spent an hour searching the bars on a gut feeling the man would need a little help. He'd found his brother asleep in the front seat of the Impala in a bar's parking lot. After driving him home and dragging him into a bed, Sam had sat by his older brother for the rest of the night just to make sure he was okay. He didn't want him dying on him, choking on his own vomit or something equally as disgusting.

Stifling a yawn, Sam rubbed his eyes and blinked. He was so tired; he hadn't slept all night. He'd just started to close his eyes when the all-too familiar fluttering of feathers and wings startled him into some sort of consciousness. His sleep-deprived brain took a moment to remember what that meant. As it all fell into place, Sam stiffened, not wanting to turn around in case he saw a young woman with red-brown hair and smoky grey eyes, a smug smile gracing her lips.

No one spoke as the unknown angel stepped up behind Sam, footsteps light on the wooden floor. Dean tossed, muttering in his sleep. Then silence, only soft breathing and hearts beating.

"If that's you, Ariel," Sam said, keeping his gaze fixed on his restless brother's figure lying tangled in the blankets "Say what you have to and go."

Still just silence. Sam grew frustrated and stood up, turning angrily to face the unannounced angel. He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped dead when he saw who was standing there with hands clasped behind his back.

The archangel stared at Sam, dark eyes emotionless. The younger Winchester could only stare back, wondering what this turn of events could mean for Castiel, and in turn, Dean.

"Raphael."

The dark-skinned man didn't speak, and Sam, exhausted, took a moment to muster up the ability to string a coherent sentence together.

"What's going on? Castiel..."

As Sam trailed off, Raphael filled the surrounding quietness with his own low voice, answering Sam's spoken and unspoken questions.

"Castiel is alive. He survived and is healing as we speak."

He glanced at Dean as he finished, the sleeping hunter oblivious to the news that had just been revealed. Sam stared open-mouthed, surprise and relief washing through him at tidal-wave speed.  
Castiel was okay. He was going to be fine. The angel had made it.

Raphael swept his gaze around to Sam, eyes sharp and searching. The Winchester looked back, unblinking. He knew Dean would want to be awake, he'd want to know about Castiel's condition. But one look at his passed-out brother stilled that thought. He could find out when he woke. His flicker of a glance lasted only a split-second, but when Sam turned back to Raphael, the archangel was gone.

Sam slumped into the chair again, smiling to himself as he watched Dean. He was going to be pissed that he didn't get to hear the news as soon as it came, but at least he could know that the angel was going to live. At least he could rest easier now that he wasn't worrying about Castiel. He hoped Dean could stop blaming himself, but Sam knew it would take him a while.

**/\/\**

Gabriel had tried to snap the restraints that held Castiel to the table, but found he couldn't. It was only when Raphael returned to check on the angel that he discovered why.

"I had to make sure you wouldn't let him free to kill himself, to help him relieve the pain," Raphael said as he waved his hand over the bonds and they split in half.

Gabriel nodded, not shocked in the slightest. He knew it was a definite possibility that he might have let Castiel stop the pain he was in. Even if it meant killing Castiel and failing in his task to protect his brother, Gabriel knew he could have done it. Might have.

The archangel helped the broken, exhausted angel up off the table and sat him down on the ground.

"How do you feel?"

Castiel looked at him, blue eyes shining. Only now they weren't shining with tears of agony – they were shining with joy. Relief. Happiness.

"It still hurts, but not like it did before. And it's everywhere – I hurt all over the place," the angel said truthfully. Gabriel smiled – Castiel had never been one to lie. He glanced at Raphael, who had seated himself behind Castiel to check the progress on his wings. The dark archangel ran a hand over the wings lightly, the caked blood vanishing as his hands moved. Castiel closed his eyes and bit his lip. Gabriel knew his wings would still be sore, and even the slightest touch would be a little painful.

But Raphael was the healer, and he knew exactly what he was doing. He did his work quickly, carefully, and as painlessly as possible. When he was finished, Castiel's wings were clear of blood and shimmered slightly as he brought them around his body. With feathers, they would have created a sheet of shimmering colour to hide the angel in Heaven, or on Earth it would hide him completely from the world. But ruined as they were, they were more like a cage around the angel, the few feathers now growing almost non-existent. Castiel stared at them, swallowing and wincing when it caused pain to surge through him. Gabriel put a hand on his shoulder, and Raphael moved to sit in front of the injured angel. He placed a gentle hand on Castiel's chest for a moment.

Gabriel had never heard Raphael sound surprised. Even when he'd fallen from Heaven, Raphael hadn't been shocked like the others. He'd known it was coming, sooner or later. But now, Gabriel distinctly heard the other archangel gasp.

"What did they do to you?" Raphael asked quietly.

Castiel tried to speak, but his throat pained him too much. He'd already achieved a miracle by speaking to Gabriel earlier. So Raphael tried a different tactic. He leaned forward, and Castiel did the same until their foreheads touched. Both closed their eyes, and the blonde archangel watched as the healer curled his massive dark wings around the pair and shielding them from view.

A minute passed before the angels leaned back and Raphael folded his wins tightly against his back. He laid a hand on Castiel's throat, removing it a second later with a nod. Castiel nodded back and Raphael stood, gesturing for Gabriel to follow. The archangel did so, curiously dreading to know what Castiel had told the healer.

Once they were out of earshot, Raphael stopped and turned to Gabriel with a stormy look upon his face.

"What did they do to him?" Gabriel asked.

"In order to force him to reveal his wings, they tortured him. When conventional human techniques failed to produce a result, they tried more satanic rituals. In the end, they poured flaming holy oil down his throat."

Raphael's voice was rough with anger, and Gabriel's own fury ignited with ferocity. He could imagine the scene – the blonde ordering her henchmen to hold back Castiel's head, pour the flaming oil. He could picture her watching with nothing but greed as Castiel writhed in pain and his wings thunderclapped into visibility. Literally – a sound like thunder echoing through the building as agony shot through the angel's body, forcing his wings to become visible.

"I wish I'd killed her slower," Gabriel growled, his own wings flashing out and beating the air in anger. Raphael calmed him with a strong hand on the blonde's shoulder.

"Do not worry about what you cannot change. Just stay with Castiel, help him heal."

Gabriel nodded, too angry to speak. He turned away from the healer and walked back to his brother, collapsing to his knees beside him.

"I am so sorry," he said, staring into Castiel's eyes. There was no anger there; just regret. The injured angel leaned forward and touched his forehead to Gabriel's and spoke to him through his mind, connecting with his brother so closely it was almost as if they were one.

_It was not your fault. You aren't to blame._

_Yes I am. I should have realised sooner and saved you quicker. _

_I still lived. I will live. It doesn't matter either way._

_How can you not hate me after I almost got you killed?_

_It had nothing to do with you. If anything, I am happy that you came at all. No one else was coming – only you had the understanding to know I was in danger._

_I failed you._

_Only if I had died. But I am here, do not worry anymore._

_They tortured you. They put you through all that pain. The holy oil..._

_I knew someone was coming. I knew you were coming. _

_I didn't even know until it was almost too late to save you..._

_When will you learn, Gabriel, to just be quiet?_

_When there is nothing left to apologise for._

_Then I should hear silence, as there is nothing._

Gabriel broke away, leaving Castiel disorientated for a moment. As Gabriel moved to stand, his brother grabbed his wrist to stop him. The archangel took one look at the pleading in Castiel's eyes and fell back onto the ground with a sigh. He could never leave his brother like that.

_Wasn't your fault..._

**/\/\**

When Dean awoke, sunlight was playing across the bed from the window in the far wall. He blinked blearily, his head spinning and pounding like a jackhammer was working inside. He groaned, sitting up as he tried to remember what had happened last night.

Bar. He got drunk. That chick who looked like...

It all flashed back to him so fast he nearly fell back on the bed. He groaned again, rubbing a hand over his face. The last thing he remembered was sitting behind the wheel of the Impala. Looking around, he realised he was in the motel room. How had he gotten back? If he'd driven, he was one lucky son of a bitch not to drive himself off the road.

"Dean?"

The hunter glanced over as he heard his brother's voice. Sam was curled up in a chair, now stretching as he woke up fully. He was looking at his brother with half-worry, half-relief. Had something happened last night to make Sam look like that? Or was he just still too drunk to know what he was talking about?

"Jesus Sammy," was all he got out before he realised he didn't know what to say. For once, he was lost for words. He _must_ have drunk too much.

"You okay?"

"Will be."

Silence. Dean did his best to stop the world spinning until Sam decided to speak up again. When he did, Dean nearly fell back onto the bed again, though not from dizziness or disorientation this time.

"Raphael turned up last night while you were out. Castiel made it."

"He made it? He's alive?" It was too much for his brain at the moment to comprehend.

"Yeah. He's gonna be okay," Sam smiled.

Castiel was going to be okay. Dean had been waiting to hear those words for days. And now that he'd heard them, a weight was lifted from his shoulders. He hadn't killed Castiel. He might have been the cause of all this, but he hadn't killed the angel. Castiel would probably want to kill him, but he didn't care.

Castiel was alive, and that was all that mattered.

**Please review!**


	8. Prove Me Guilty

**The final chapter. It turned out to be a little longer than I'd thought, but I'm not complaining; it was pretty good in my opinion. Enjoy!**

Castiel kept track of the time it took for him to heal fully – or some semblance of. A month for his feathers to fully regrow to their former massive glory, another two for his throat and lungs to heal from the burning oil. Even after that time, he couldn't speak as well as he used to. There was still a rough edge to his words that was a constant, painful reminder of what had been done to him. That too would fade, Raphael had told him, but not for a long while.

Gabriel kept a continuous vigil over his brother, never leaving his side except to speak to Raphael or Ariel. Castiel was surprised by the pair's sudden friendship, knowing they had always hated each other. Still, he thought, if it made his brother happy, he didn't really mind. He liked Ariel, to a degree.

Castiel watched as Gabriel left to talk with the healer. He flexed his wings, bringing them around his body to hide him for a moment before stretching them out to their full span. The feathers glittered and shone golden, silver shadows sparkling. Most humans only saw the shadow of his wings, the real ones hidden from view. Few had ever seen the glory that was the shining brightness of an angel's wings.

As Gabriel and Raphael turned away from Castiel, the angel stood. It'd been three months since he'd last seen the Winchesters. He had to find out where they were, if they were alright. He had to find out if they were still fighting.

When the archangels looked back, Castiel was gone.

**/\/\**

Dean was asleep on his motel bed when he was startled awake. He slipped his hand under the pillow, felt the knife's handle in his grip, and looked around for whatever had woken him. He could see nothing in the still darkness, only shadows playing on the walls. Slivers of light slid past as cars drove by the window, lighting up the room for a few seconds, highlighting the face of Castiel leaning against the far wall...

Dean swore, scrambling out of bed. Sam mumbled as he woke, rubbing his eyes and looking around in confusion. By the time he saw Castiel, Dean was already with him, both staring at each other silently.

Dean couldn't help but remember the last time he'd stared into Castiel's eyes. The angel had been in agony, torn apart and broken, bloody and on the verge of death. His eyes had been full of pain, and there had been no room for anything else. Now, all Dean could see in the brilliant blue eyes of the angel staring at him was relief. Total, utter relief.

"Cas."

What else could he say? He'd nearly killed the angel. Saying sorry wasn't really good enough. Nothing was really good enough for what he'd caused Castiel to suffer through. The angel remained silent as Sam sat on the bed and watched from a distance, leaving the pair to say what they had to say.

"I'm sorry."

"I've been hearing that a lot," Castiel said, and Dean winced at the sound of his rough, hoarse voice. The voice that had been screaming, screaming in agony and defeat. The sound that had ripped  
through Dean had caused everything to go numb, feel nothing but blinding guilt.

"I should have known that she wasn't a hunter. I knew Bela, I knew the signs. I should have seen it."

He tried to stop himself, knowing that if he started he would just keep on apologising until his voice gave out, and all his shame and guilt would spill out for everyone to see. But he couldn't stop now. It was too late.

"But I was too stupid to see it, and I nearly got you killed. I got you into that mess and I couldn't even get you out of it after I got you in it..."

His sleep-muddled brain made sure that what he said made no sense whatsoever, but Castiel seemed to understand. He silenced Dean with a hand on his shoulder. When the hunter finally fell quiet, the angel spoke.

"It wasn't your fault. It was nobody's. It was an accident that no one could have prevented. Alexis was already hunting me down, she had been looking for me for months. It was pure chance that she met us there. Sooner or later, she would have caught up to you and by taking you, would capture me. Nothing you did would have stopped it."

Both the Winchesters were staring in shock, but it was Dean who spoke aloud, "She told you that?"

"Yes. As she tried to make me reveal my wings she told me everything. So stop blaming yourself. I have Gabriel to deal with, and he feels twice as guilty."

Dean managed a weak smirk at that. But Castiel could still see the guilt hiding in the shadows of his soul, shining in his eyes.

"You sure you're okay?" Dean asked, quietly so his brother didn't hear.

Castiel put both hands on Dean's shoulders, leaning slightly on the hunter. There was a loud, almost deafening snap which made Dean start and blink for a moment, dazed. When he realised what the angel was doing, he bit his lip to stop from gasping in shock.

Everything around him glowed and shimmered, a rainbow of gold, silver, black and colours he didn't think he'd ever seen before. It was mesmerizing, a display of flashing colour. He knew he was probably staring like a kid walking into a candy store for the first time, but he couldn't bring himself to stop.

"Holy crap," Dean muttered.

He caught Castiel's staring blue gaze. The angel's face was painted with the splashes of colour from his wings, highlighted with silver and shadowed with glowing black. Dean didn't even know black _could _glow.

Just as suddenly as it had all started, the colours vanished and left Dean stumbling in dizziness of how fast everything changed. He found himself standing in the motel room, Sam staring at him from the bed with wide, surprised eyes and Castiel gone. The pair locked eyes, silent as they tried to understand just what had happened.

"What happened?" Dean asked finally.

"I don't know," Sam said "There was just these great big shadows that surrounded you – it looked like... wings."

Dean made his slow way back to his bed, sitting down heavily as he replayed the vision in his head. It all started to make sense now – what had just happened. He glanced at Sam, who looked utterly confused by the events just passed.

"What was that all about?" Sam asked.

Dean knew. He knew exactly what Castiel had been trying to prove to him, what the impressive show had meant. Why Castiel had only shown him the true nature of his wings, and let Sam see the shadows.

"He was answering my question," Dean replied, which only made Sam even more puzzled. Dean shook his head, smiling for the first time in months.

"He's fine."

**Thank you very much to everyone who read this story, reviewed it, favourited it or put it on their story alert. I appreciate everything and every review makes me happy - like crack happy. Thank you!**


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